Word was received this morning that our dear friend, and fellow researcher, Loni Gardner, passed away July 4. According to her obituary at the Russon Brothers Mortuary website, she was born Loni Gayle Johnson on 4 March 1944 in Phoenix, Arizona, to Lloyd Douglas & Eva (Haymore) Johnson. She married and was sealed to Marvin Ray Gardner on 14 May 1965 in the Mesa, Arizona LDS Temple.
Nearly every December for the last 20 years or so, Loni would join with us at the Salt Lake Christmas Tour in Salt Lake City. She loved to help folks find their ancestors, and as one of the Christmas Tour staff she worked one-on-one with attendees. She also presented lectures, and moderated an annual Legacy Software discussion group evening.
We loved Loni. She was a special person, and we’re all gonna’ miss her. Thanks to genealogists Dwight Radford and Kevan Hanson for giving me the heads-up this morning.
Loni and Marvin lived in Phoenix and Paradise Valley, Arizona; Bethesda and Rockville, Maryland; and made their last home in Bountiful, Utah. They raised six children with love, all the while continuing her other passions which included genealogy, church callings, cub scouts, joy school, and civic duties.
A viewing for family members will be held at Russon Mortuary, 295 N. Main St., Bountiful, Utah, at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, 10 July 2020. A graveside service will follow at 3:00 p.m. at Lakeview Memorial Cemetery, 1640 E. Lakeview Drive, Bountiful, Utah. This service will be streamed online by Russon Mortuary. Log into Facebook and search for Russon Brothers Mortuary about 3 pm MDT Friday. You may or may not have to click on “Videos.”
If you knew Loni and would like to leave a note, there’s a Tribute Wall at the mortuary site.
To see a full obituary and/or leave a note on the Tribute Wall at the Russon Brothers Mortuary site, see: https://www.russonmortuary.com/obituary/Loni-Gardner
